The invention relates to a device for checking cylindrical bodies, especially the tubes of open-end spinning machines transported along a feed path from a tube container to the distribution mechanism of the tubes on the machine, e.g., by means of a chain conveyor with feed blades and with a cyclical intermittent motion, an auxiliary container intended to receive discarded tubes being provided over the tube container near the blade path and oriented with its inlet aperture towards the blade path.
The tubes are used for instance for winding on cross wound bobbins on open-end spinning machines. The empty tube must be brought to the automatic device designed to doff the bobbin and to insert the tube in its place. The Czechoslovak patent application No. 234,198 describes a device for continuous tube supply permitting the tubes to be freely fed into the container. It is highly probable that the operator will not inspect the tubes and discard the damaged ones, thus permitting tubes with malformed or broken out edges to get into the automatic device and thereby cause malfunctioning and time losses in the machine operation. The device described in the Czechoslovak patent application 232,219 discloses containers into which the tubes must be laid in definite position by the operator who, consequently, can check the tubes while inserting them into the containers; however, the inspection quality depends on the subjective evaluation of the operator.
The patent specification No. 34 14 680 of the German Federal Republic describes a device with a conveyor which receives a step-by-step motion and comprises an arm with a feeler for testing the state of the tubes and for discarding the damaged ones out of the process. This device, however, is unsuitable for testing the physical state of the tube edges, and to discard the damaged ones. The Swiss patent specification No. 631,414 describes the testing of conical tubes on the basis of an operation which is based on principles inapplicable to cylindrical tubes.
The purpose of this invention is to provide an arrangement in which an objective inspection of tubes is assured and which discards those with broken out or malformed edges. To achieve this purpose, a centering device of the tube is mounted in the arrangement along the tube axis transversely to the feed path of the tubes at the location of the intermittent motion stop interval. A drive for the centering device is provided to impart rotary motion to the centered tube. Contact members are provided at the circumference zones of the centered tubes, and govern the feelers which, together with a switch constitute an inspection means, and are interconnected with an actuating member arranged so as to shift the damaged tubes out of the feed path and towards the inlet aperture of an auxiliary container provided for damaged tubes.
The device according to the present invention is simple in design and requires only a limited space. Both the drive and measuring section are based on the classical principles of mechanics thus ensuring high operational reliability. Any subjective influence of the operator on the quality of testing is eliminated.